St Cuthbert's Garden Village consultation

Local residents, businesses and organisations are being asked to have their say on proposals to create a new Garden Village on the south side of Carlisle, and the associated development of a new southern link road, as part of public consultations launched today by the city and county councils.

Consultations on the two proposals will run in parallel, with a range of opportunities provided for people to find out more and share their views. Public consultation events will be held on:

St Cuthbert’s Garden Village, is an ambitious Carlisle City Council proposal, with government backing, that could include the development of up to 10,000 new quality homes, new employment opportunities, community facilities, new green spaces and improved transport connections.

Work is underway to develop concepts and a vision for how the garden village could develop. The consultation will look at what should be included and prioritised within the new Garden Village and will ask for initial thoughts on where and what form development should take. To find out more and to have your say, visit www.stcuthbertsgv.co.uk

“St Cuthbert’s Garden Village will help us grow Carlisle and of the 14 sites included in the Government’s Garden Village programme, is by far the largest in terms of its potential capacity. It is also one of only two Garden Villages north of Manchester and easily amongst the most ambitious development projects being actively progressed within the north of England.

“There will be lots of opportunities for the public and landowners to get involved and help shape the future of the area. This consultation will help draw together a vision for the area. We encourage local residents, businesses and organisations to get involved.”

Carlisle Southern Link Road

The proposal for a new Carlisle Southern Link Road (CSLR) would support the vision for the new Garden Village. It would also reduce congestion within and around the city, improving travel within Carlisle, and enhance links to west Cumbria. Preparatory investigations for the proposed road have been underway for several months andtwo route options are now being presented to the public and stakeholders. The routes take account of a range of constraints, for example environmental issues, flood management, historic features,land use and residential areas. Respondents to the consultation are being asked to consider the pros and cons of each route, and express a preference.

A £100m funding bid to the government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund to allow delivery of the new road was made in September 2017. If this initial bid is successful Cumbria County Council will be invited to prepare a business case, the feedback from this consultation will be a critical part of that. The business case would be used by government to determine whether or not to fund the project. Government funding will be essential if the scheme is to move on from the planning stage. Any final scheme would be subject to a formal planning process, including further public consultation.

Cllr Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said:

“St Cuthbert’s Garden Village and CSLR are very ambitious projects; to be successful we must make the strongest possible case to government and convince them of their merits. Potentially this could transform the city, and provide a major boost to the whole county. But without the government investment these plans will not move forward.

“Of course there would be a local impact and that is why this consultation is important. We need to understand people’s aspirations for the Garden Village and opinions on the possible routes for the CSLR that have been identified. I’d strongly encourage people to take the time to get involved, read the consultation document and attend the events - it’s important that local people have their say.”